Dear Lego, please make more western sets! I'd love for my non castle universe to have some revolvers and some fancy hats and vest torso designs. and dont forget some mean looking yellow facial expressions that would come from those nasty bandits for my castle universe's villains. or a couple cow girls faces for my fair maidens. ( because to be honest, I dont have many girl heads ). any other reasons why Lego should make a western theme?

I definitely agree. The biggest argument for them to bring back the western theme is right here:

They didn't have a cow before, and that was a glaring absence in the earlier western sets. They've also got other new elements they could include, like the Indiana Jones hat, that could add some diversity to the previous molds. The Wonder Woman lasso from the upcoming Super Heroes line is another element they could include.

I've argued this before, but I felt like they missed out on having a third year of the theme that focused on civilian life:

Impulse set - Cattle rancher - cow, cowboy, lasso (this would be an obvious 'army builder' set as people would buy large quantities to get a herd.

Small set - Settlers - Ma, Pa, kid, covered wagon

Medium set - Homestead farm - same family, small house, shed, cow, chicken some farming implements (think of some parts of Mill Village Raid brought forward to the late 1800's)

Larger set - general store

Biggest set - town

Of course they could sprinkle in some 'bandits' or 'injuns' if they really need to make action.

Then they could also cross theme with having a railroad tie in with the steam engine and a couple of car designs as separate sets (of course one would have to be a cattle car). Then a western-themed train depot would be an obvious set as well.

Final point - girls. There is often a discussion of how to build in appeal to girls. My wife has gotten hooked again lately into watching all of the Little House series (it runs a couple of times a day on the Hallmark channel, so we DVR it and watch it at night). Of course these books and the show have been family favorites for decades, and especially with girls since the main protagonist is Laura. These show that a western theme that is not just about gunfights and Indian raids could connect very well with girls. For set designs just take a look around Walnut Grove - the Olsen's store, the mill, the schoolhouse/church, farms etc.

Bandits yes, but I think in this day and age, hostile "Injuns" would be too controversial. Not to say that Indians couldn't be included, but they would have to be portrayed as living in peace alongside the settlers and trading with them, not warring against them.

A saloon/dance hall would be another fun medium to large set that girls could enjoy. I'm picturing something that would open up to show the stage (with dancing girl and piano player) on one side, the bar with bartender on the other, and a few tables and chairs in the wedge between them. Two regular cowboys drinking and playing cards could also be included. (I actually made my own saloon gal out of the Medieval Market Village barmaid's outfit, a female head from one of the Collectible minifigs, and Willie Scott's nightclub hairdo with a triple plume stuck in the hole. She looks great!)

Maybe if the movie "Dances with Wolves" came out nowadays, LEGO perhaps would have made a licensed theme out of it. Usually if i get the "Western" bug I buy a few of the older Cowboy figures on Brinklink. I wouldn't be suprised to see some newer Cowboy theme in the future.-Tower

What about the Mexican-American War or Texas War for Indepence. There you could use some of the more Pirates elements. You'd get Southwestern forts and towns. The "Western" theme could span from the Louisiana Purchase in 1802 through to the turn of the century, encompassing all of the western expansion. You could have Plains Natives, Pueblo Natives, Northwest Natives, Settlers/Ranchers, Railroad, Trappers, Calvary, Mexicans and Bandits. This theme could run for years.

gedren_y wrote:What about the Mexican-American War or Texas War for Indepence. There you could use some of the more Pirates elements. You'd get Southwestern forts and towns. The "Western" theme could span from the Louisiana Purchase in 1802 through to the turn of the century, encompassing all of the western expansion. You could have Plains Natives, Pueblo Natives, Northwest Natives, Settlers/Ranchers, Railroad, Trappers, Calvary, Mexicans and Bandits. This theme could run for years.

This sounds like a good idea, and I would buy some of these sets for Castle parts, but I'm not sure how this would appeal to European FOLs. Maybe it would, I don't know.-Tower

I think this is a great idea. ...seems like an idea that might become ripe again at some time. To add my two bits to the list of ideas, I think a pueblo cliff village in the style of Mesa Verde would be a neat idea.

I agree. I've been a proponet of a wild west theme since before one was ever made. Let's have a wild west revival.

If you are looking for something to tide you over in the absence of offical sets, there are also a lot of great cowboy MOCs on eurobricks at the moment too, thanks to their spaghetti western competition. All the entries show that enthusiasm for wild west lives on.